


You're Late

by Angelikah



Series: Written Words [1]
Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AU/AH, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, And like, April is sassy, Caroline is her incredibly annoying TA, Elijah is terrible at feelings, F/F, F/M, I KNOW THE PAIRING IS WEIRD, Klaus is just Caroline trash, M/M, ROLL WITH THEM PLEEEASEEE, Rare Pairings, SO ARE ALL THE OTHER ONES, THIS CAME FROM A TUMBLR PROMPT, also, and now i'm slowly gravitating back toward it, as usual, but he's trying okay??, he's kind of her professor, i'm kind of fucking around with different writing styles, in my defense, lots of coffee, so like, so that's super awks, so we'll see how this goes, this one has a lot of parentheses and self-interruptions, when i started writing, which i tried for awhile in the beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-05-24 19:15:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6163699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelikah/pseuds/Angelikah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first words your soulmate says to you are tattooed on your skin. Then, no matter how unlikely the match, no matter how much you fight, how much you cry, how much you scream that they couldn't possibly be right for you, that this is just a huge mistake, you find a way to make it work. </p>
<p>A collection of drabbles showing the unlikely soulmates doing just that.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Elijah Mikaelson is one of the strictest (and most well-dressed) English professors at Whitmore College, but he was absent for the first two weeks of class. When April Young walks in just a bit late on his first day back, they're both horrified at each others' first words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Goddamned Blessing to the World

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LynyrdLionheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynyrdLionheart/gifts).



> So, this spawned off of a rare pair prompt I got on tumblr and sort of snowballed from there. Lynyrd peer pressured me enough to turn this into a rare pair drabble collection (so I'm listing it as a gift to her), and I'll add the pairings to the tags as they come into the story. Each pairing will have its own story, but it'll all be on the same collection here.
> 
> If you've read provocative_envy's stuff (from the harry potter fandom), she did a similar thing with a drabble series (though I can't remember if it's actually soulmates or not) (I need to reread it). I'm also fucking around with different writing styles, so you'll probably notice how each of the pairings has a different sort-of flow/style to it. Hopefully.

Caroline Forbes was, quite frankly, one of the most annoying people that April had ever met.

The professor had been absent, so Caroline and the other TA (who had the same last name as the professor, which was a conflict of interest if she’d ever seen one) had been giving the lectures for the first two weeks of class.

Caroline could chatter on and on for an absurd length of time without taking a single breath, and within the first small-group tutorial the entire section knew essentially her entire life story, including how she and Klaus Mikaelson (TA #2) had been best friends from the first day of third grade, and when she woke up on her eighteenth birthday with “Happy Birthday, sweetheart” etched in black ink on her arm, she’d just _known_ (or something like that).

Anyway, she shoved it in everyone’s faces because her life was a goddamn fucking fairytale and she wanted everyone to know it.

And April? Well, she’d now turned twenty and still hadn’t found the asshole whose first words to her were, “You’re late.”

Or, at least, she didn’t until she sped into the classroom, coffee in hand with an apology on the tip of her tongue for Caroline (who seemed to be quite understanding of students’ busy schedules) when she realized that the man in front of the class was not, in fact, Caroline.

He was dressed in a well-tailored suit, and turned around with an eyebrow slightly raised. “You’re late.”

“The Starbucks drive-thru line didn’t look long, I swear,” she said quickly, hoping his opening words to her were a coincidence.

From the look of horror on his face, she could tell it wasn’t.

“See me after class, Miss…Young, is it?”

“Yeah,” she said faintly, sitting down in the back row and trying to resist the urge to hide under her desk.

It fucking figured.

She managed to _not_ hide under her desk, though she knew her face was bright red the entire time, not that anyone but her and Professor Mikaelson would know why.

What was she going to call him, anyway? Professor Mikaelson seemed a bit stuffy considering they were supposedly soulmates.

Then again, he seemed like a stuffy person (wearing an actual suit to class? Who _does_ that?), so maybe it would make sense.

She never bothered looking up her professors online, but it seemed like it might be a good idea, so she searched his name on Rate My Professor while he talked about their first essay that would be due that semester.

It turned out he was getting his Masters’ (so not technically a professor) and taught low-level courses to get credits or whatever. The general consensus seemed to be that he had high expectations but was a fair grader, which told her absofuckinglutely _nothing_ about him as a person.

She glanced at Caroline, who was sitting off to the side near the front row. One of the TAs was always supposed to be in class, and they all usually used the time to catch up on grading, but Caroline seemed to be texting. It seemed odd to April until the other girl looked up and made eye contact with her before glancing back down at her phone.

Right. She was probably texting Klaus that his brother had found his soulmate, because _of_ _course_ Caroline fucking Forbes would figure it out first. Maybe she knew what was on Professor-Not-Actually-A-Professor Mikaelson’s arm? That seemed likely.

Klaus probably didn’t even remember her, because, in April’s humble opinion, he was a fucking _asshole_.

Well, actually he probably did remember her, since he had graded her down on the last weekly reflection for a huge smudge of Cheeto dust on the top that made her name nearly illegible ( _so_ unfair).

She just hadn’t had time to reprint, okay?

The entire class was a blur, frankly, and when she went up to Not-Actually-A-Professor Mikaelson at the end after everyone had left, he sighed, gathering some papers.

She waited for a few seconds, but he didn’t talk, and she felt a flash of irritation at his attitude. “Um, hi.”

“Hello, Miss Young.”

“April,” she corrected. “My soulmate calling me by my last name is _super_ weird.”

He flinched at the word soulmate, and to be honest, she didn’t blame him because _what the fuck_. Her teacher. Her goddamned fucking teacher.

Really? _Really?_

“Shall we talk about this over coffee?”

“Um, yeah. Sure.”

“Choose the place and send me the address. I shall meet you there at three o’clock sharp,” he said, writing down his number in annoyingly perfect handwriting and handing it to her before walking out of the room.

Wow. Okay. Rude.

 

**XXX**

 

“Well, this is awkward.”

He stayed silent, sipping his coffee (boringly plain, like his soul) (okay, so she didn't know if his soul was boring) (yet), and she found herself growing annoyed.

“Hey, I’m _trying_ here. The least you can do is attempt friendliness.”

“You are a child.”

She bristled, the ‘am not’ that would prove his point on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she sipped her own coffee (grande salted caramel mocha, which was a delicious fucking delight, no matter how rudely he wrinkled his nose at her order) (seriously, _so_ rude) (but at least he paid like gentleman). Look, what coffee you preferred was symbolic of your soul, in April’s personal opinion, and just like the salted caramel mocha, she was a goddamned blessing to the world, okay?

As for Elijah, her stupid soulmate-slash-professor-slash-Pain In The Ass Already And It Had Only Been Four Hours...

“And you’re a pretentious snob, but you don’t see me calling out your misleading lack of fedora.”

“Fedoras are a sign of a… I believe your generation calls them ‘fuckboys’.”

“ _My_ _generation_? Really? You’re, what, five years older than me?”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty. Which, by the way, makes me _not_ a child.”

“Clearly,” he said dryly, giving her a condescending stare over his plain boring blue mug, and good fucking _god_ what was his _problem_?

“Okay, you know what? So you don’t like me based on my age when you know absolutely nothing about me, fine, but like it or not, this bullshit arm tattoo _thing_ stuck us together, and just because you’re as bitter as your stupid pretentious hipster coffee doesn’t mean you get to be a total dick to me. So, I’m going to go, and when you and your knock-off Armani suit and your stupid tie, which totally does not go with your pocket square _by the way_ , decide to pull the bramble out of your ass, you can find me. I suggest you bring apology coffee. Probably cake, too.”

She turned to make her dramatic exit and came face to face with Caroline The Annoyingly Cheerful TA, who was holding what looked like a frappuccino (of fucking course) with the symbol for three extra shots on the side.

That explained a lot.

“Oh my god, hi! Totally did not expect to see you here. Mr. Grumpy over there thinks Starbucks is a disgrace to the world of coffee.”

“Of course he does,” April mumbled, inwardly laughing her ass off at Caroline’s nickname for Elijah (the only way that could get better was if it was Mr. Grumpykins or something) (she should think about terrible petnames for the future just to see his face) (wait, what future? This guy was an ass).

“Right, so, I don’t know if you’ve figured it out, but Elijah is Klaus’s brother. You know, your TA–”

“I know who Klaus is,” April interrupted, trying to fend off the inevitable anecdote from Caroline Forbes’ Epic Life Story.

“Right,” Caroline said brightly. “Sorry. So, anyway, Elijah seems like a total killjoy, but I promise he gets better as you get to know him.”

“Well, that’s good,” April said, resigning herself to not getting to leave anytime soon.

“Caroline, you do understand that I’m sitting only a meter away from you, and I can hear you perfectly well.”

“Well, then you should participate in the conversation if you want to be included,” Caroline said, rolling her eyes. “ _Anyway_ , so you know what we should do?”

“What?” April asked, dreading the words ‘double date’ that she was ninety-nine percent sure were about to come out of Caroline’s mouth (and never ever _ever_ would she let herself be stuck in a room with Caroline Forbes and a person that actually _liked_ talking to her) (she assumed Klaus liked talking to her, because they lived together) (maybe he had noise cancelling headphones?).

“Triple date with Klaus and me and Enzo and Kol!”

Okay that was _so_ much worse.

“No!” April said at the same time as Elijah’s, “Absolutely not.”

“Oh, look! You guys agree on something! That’s a conversation starter,” she said checking her phone (it had a fucking _glitter_ all over it) (was that a _puppy_ sticker?). “Oh, I have to go now. Klaus has probably verbally demolished the self-esteem of half our study group by now, and I need to go tell him to be nice to the peasants. If you guys aren’t getting along by next week, let me know, and we’re _totally_ on for that triple date next Sunday. Anyway, it was good to see you, Elijah. April, welcome to the family, I guess. Bye!”

“Bye...?” April half-asked as Caroline walked out the door, the small groups of people moving aside for her as she walked.

How did she _do_ that?

April whirled around to look at Elijah. “Is she serious?”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Elijah said calmly, picking up the newspaper beside him (because of course he reads the newspaper) (clearly online news was too mainstream for him) (he probably did the crossword every week with a _quill pen_ , or something). “Caroline is vaguely terrifying when she wants to be. It’s probably why she’s Niklaus’s soulmate. He needs that sort of order in his life.”

She stared at Elijah for a second, wondering if the reason he considered her a child was because he seemed to consider _literally everyone else_ a child. “Well isn’t _someone_ judgy today?”

“Judgmental,” Elijah corrected, and April groaned, sinking down on the armchair. “I thought that you were leaving until I pulled the bramble out of my arse.”

“Well, I _was_ , but now we’re going to get along even if it means I have to lock you up and force you to talk to me,” she said irritably, draining the rest of her mocha.

“Kinky,” he said with a straight face, and April nearly choked on the last dregs of her coffee.

“ _What?_ ”

“What?” he asked, his eyes wide and innocent and _what the fuck was that_.

She stared at him for a second, trying to figure out what had just happened, and could see the barely-there curl of his lips as he looked back at the newspaper.

What. The. Motherfucking. Fuck.

She suddenly felt slightly out of her depth. Maybe there was more to Elijah than she originally thought?

It would make sense, since he was the grad student teaching her class and probably felt obliged to be professional despite their situation. Could he just be trying to distance himself because he was uncomfortable? Was that his way of coping?

Was he afraid of intimacy? Was he more than just a one-note boring person that she’d assumed? There must have been _some_ reason she ended up paired with him.

“Why do you think we’re soulmates?” she asked, suddenly feeling a bit vulnerable.

He gave her a piercing look, the kind that made her feel strangely like she was wearing her soul on her skin, and she looked away.

“I haven’t the faintest idea,” he said softly. “I suppose we’ll have to make the best of it.”

“Wow. I’m sorry I’m such a burden for you,” she said, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

“That’s not what I meant, April,” he said, and it was the way he said her name that made her stiffen, the almost familiar way it rolled off of his tongue. “Would you like me to take that for you?” he asked, gesturing to the cup of coffee in front of her.

“And do what?”

“...Throw it out?” he asked, an eyebrow raised, and she blushed.

“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.”

His lips twitched. “Indeed.”

When he returned, she had slung her purse over her shoulder. “So, text me or whatever, and we’ll figure out another date, I guess,” she said unenthusiastically.

“I will.”

She turned to go before turning back, frowning. “So, awkward question–”

“I sense we’ll be having quite a few of those, but ask away.”

She rolled her eyes (no, _seriously_ , who decided he was her soulmate? She wanted her money back) (like, now). “What do I call you? Professor Mikaelson is...weird.”

“In class, I’d prefer you called me by my title, simply because I do not want other students in the class to know anything about my personal life.”

Title? Really? Who the fuck did this guy think he was?

“Outside, you _obviously_ may refer to me by my given name.”

Oh, _obviously_. Of fucking course. Yes, April, how dare you be polite and ask? So inconsiderate of her. Pish posh you peasant or what-fucking-ever.

“Bye, Elijah,” she muttered, and before she could walk away, she saw something like warmth flash through his eyes.

Wait, nope, false alarm. He probably heard the terrible indie song that just came over the speakers.

Ugh.


	2. Some Friendly Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April and Elijah have their first fight before coming to an understanding.

**Me:** so like

**Me:** at what point is it appropriate to call someone Fedora McFuckboy to their face?

**Anna:** I mean, I'm not the right person to ask bc I would almost always do that. lol

**Anna:** Is this about that guy w the hair gel

**Anna:** whose always like working on his novel or whatever

**Me:** actually no but srsly he’s terrible

**Me:** when i have headphones on and ask if a seat is taken it does not mean i want to hear about the dystopian novel you’re writing that’s a social commentary regarding the depiction of strong female characters

**Me:** HE SAID THOSE WORDS ANNA

**Anna:** omigod seriously?

**Me:** like

**Me:** i don’t want your dick bro you dont have to try so hard

**Me:** ANYWAY

**Me:** but like

**Me:** this bitch

**Me:** so basically

**Anna:** ????

**Me:** basically remember how i’m taking the class this semester

**Anna:** we’re in college so yeah

**Anna:** obvs I remember

**Me:** no but seriously the lit class with the disgusting TAs?

**Anna:** the one who graded you down for cheeto dust?

**Me:** yes that one

**Me:** so basically i met a guy and he needs a reality check

**Anna:** why would you waste your time insulting poeple you don’t even know??

**Me:** well that’s the thing so we’re like soulmates

**Anna:** WHAT

**Me:** so what do i have to lose??? 

**Anna:** YOU FOUND YOUR SOULMATE AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME WTF

**Me:** he’s required to like me

**Me:** it’s a rule

**Me:** YES HE IS i shit you not

**Anna:** OMIGOD TELL ME EVERYTHING

**Anna:** IS HE GOOD??

**Me:** not yet

**Me:** but like

**Anna:** LOL OMG not yet???

**Anna:** wtf does that even mean

**Me:** IT MEANS I DON’T KNOW YET

**Me:** we had coffee he’s kind of a douche

**Me:** he ordered black coffee and legit actually called in an Americano

**Me:** like who does that

**Me:** no one

**Anna:** you know that black coffee and americanos are different right?

**Me:** whatever still ridiculous

**Me:** like why

**Anna:** i cannot believe that your soulmate drinks americanos

**Anna:** has he heard you order your coffee?

**Me:** yeah

**Me:** he looked at me like i ordered a dead animal

**Anna:** omigod is he a vegan

**Anna:** he’s not a vegan right??

**Me:** no??? 

**Me:** i don’t think so

**Me:** god so judgy

**Anna:** whatever

**Anna:** so

**Anna:** i think you can call him fedora mcfuckface

**Anna:** i mean its not like it can get any worse apparently

**Me:** he's like, a grad student too

**Me:** he called me a child

**Anna:** omg rude!!!!!

**Me:** apparently he was valedictorian at harvard or something

**Me:** like wtf

**Anna:** Valedictorian at Harvard??? and he’s at whitmore???

**Me:** I KNOW RIGHT WHO DOES THAT

**Me:** like why 

**Me:** it’s not like we’re prestigious at literally anything

**Me:** this school is mediocre as fuck

**Anna:** wait wait why is there a grad student that went to harvard in your lit 101 class?

**Anna:** oh my god

**Anna:** OH MY GOD APRIL IS THIS YOUR TEACHER

**Me:** yes

**Me:** but it’s like a bajillion percent not my fualt

**Me:** and he hates me he called me a CHILD

**Me:** AND HE WEARS POCKET SQUARES THAT DON’T MATCH HIS TIES

**Anna:** the horror.

**Anna:** what a dealbreaker.

**Me:** omg shut up seriously

**Anna:** is he hot at least?

**Me:** duh

* * *

“Are you a vegan?”

“Hello, April. I’m doing quite well today, thank you for asking. How are you?”

“No seriously please tell me you’re not a vegan. Or like, one of those weirdos who doesn’t eat bread.”

“Maintaining a gluten-free or vegan diet isn’t uncommon, but no. I do enjoy meat.”

She couldn’t restrain the short of laughter, though she managed to cover it with a cough (barely), and he raised an eyebrow.

“Do you like sausage? Or are you like, one of those people who likes pigs in a blanket? Those are super weird, by the way. People who put hot dogs in perfectly good biscuits need jesus.”

He just stared at her over his to-go cup, clearly debating whether to pretend that she wasn’t making sexual innuendos or to go along with it, and honestly she wasn’t really sure which would be more fun.

It was their third date, and she was determined to get along with him. After the semi-disastrous first date, the second was weirdly calm. Elijah had managed to steer the conversation in the direction of literature, and she was surprised that they had similar tastes in modern fiction.

Unfortunately, it all went to hell when they’d started talking about early American novels, and she’d expressed her opinion on As I Lay Dying. Elijah was a Faulkner enthusiast, apparently, and seemed determined to convince her that As I Lay Dying was full of deep metaphors and that it had  _ meaning  _ and shit. 

Um, yeah, she wasn’t an idiot. She knew the metaphorical significance of “My mother is a fish”. She just wouldn’t prefer to read it on a lazy Saturday afternoon, okay? She had better books to spend her time on.

This, of course, spiraled into her explaining that anything by Virginia Woolf was depressing and The Great Gatsby was honestly one of the worst books she’d ever read. However, in his (wrong) opinion, those were all great works of literature or whatever.

As I Lay Dying could suck her lady dick, as could all the other books on that list.

Was it a fun debate? Yes, but it was kind of exhausting.

Either way, since neither a triple date orchestrated by Caroline Forbes (disaster waiting to happen) or kinky sex was currently on her to-do list, she figured that they should get along.

And she couldn’t really imagine kinky sex with Elijah anyway, to be honest. What was he even into, anyway? Silk ties? Blindfolding with ties? Using other parts of suits in creative ways? Did he own anything that wasn’t a suit?? These were important questions that needed investigation.

“Do you own any actual clothes?”

“Actual clothes?”

“Yeah, like, not a suit. Do you sleep in suits? How do you know the tie won’t choke you in your sleep?”

“I don’t sleep in suits,” he said, a small smile playing on his face.

She felt the ‘what do you sleep in, then’ follow up question on the tip of her tongue, but she shoved it back down just in time, because she really didn’t want to know what he slept in. Like, to be honest it was risky to know. She may or may not have had a really excellent sex dream about him already.

Ties not included.

Anyway.

They sat there for a few seconds in awkward silence, and April took another sip of coffee, looking away from Elijah, who seemed to be content to read the paper and pretend that she didn’t exist.

“What do you like to do for fun? You know, other than...what we’ve talked about?”

“I’m getting my master’s degree in literature.”

“That’s supposed to be fun?”

Elijah shrugged. “I like it. It’s intellectually stimulating and I enjoy the work.”

“Right,” she muttered, and he looked away. “Anything else?”

“I enjoy seeing films and going to the symphony.”

“Cool,” she said, and Elijah gave her a jerky nod.

They sat there in silence for a full minute, and April found herself getting annoyed. He was just sitting there calmly drinking his stupid coffee and not attempting to ask questions or continue their conversations and it was driving her  _ crazy. _

“So,” she said awkwardly, staring at her cup.

“Yes?”

“What are you up to this week?”

“Nothing in particular.”

Okay, that was the last straw.

“Can you help me out a little bit, here?” April said exasperatedly. “I’m trying to get to know you.”

“I understand that.”

“Well, apparently you don’t, because you seem to not be making any effort whatsoever.”

“What is there to say? You’re a twenty year old girl who the cosmos have somehow decided that I’m destined to be with, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why.”

“Excuse me?”

He gave her a piercing look, and she instinctively cringed away. “You’re impulsive and abrasive, and you seem to lack a single shred of understanding that this might be as difficult for me as it is for you. You belittle my hobbies and interests, and from the moment we were alone you assumed that I was boring and didn’t even attempt to let me prove you wrong,” Elijah said angrily, and she took a breath to respond, but he continued talking as though she hadn’t moved. “Yes, perhaps I wasn’t as kind when we first met as I could have been, but I wasn’t expecting my soulmate to be a student. It puts me in an incredibly awkward position in class, and while I understand that it’s not your fault, it’s still difficult. I’m not a social creature by nature, and it takes me quite awhile to warm up to people. I want to get to know you April, but you seem less interested in getting to know me and more interested in hoping that I’ll change into someone else who you find more interesting, but that’s not how this works. I understand that you were most likely expecting romance and instant connection, but relationships take work. You can’t just assume that everything will fall into place.”

He finished his monologue with his lips pressed together in a thin line, and he stared at her as she processed what he’d said. 

“Oh.”

“Indeed,” he said shortly. “Now, I apologize for any inconvenience my reluctance to jump into a relationship with someone who clearly doesn’t take any of my hobbies or opinions seriously may have caused, but perhaps you should think about whether you’re willing to have an open mind and consider the possibility that your opinion is not necessarily universal. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have papers to grade.”

April tried to think of something to say, something to defend herself with, but by the time she knew what she wanted to say he’d left the coffee shop, his stupid Americano still half-empty on the table.

* * *

 

**Me:** I think I screwed up

**Anna:** ??

**Me:** Or elijah screwed up

**Me:** Idk

**Anna:** What happened

**Me:** he thinks i judge him for his stupid hobbies

**Me:** but like

**Anna:** you do judge his hobbies

**Me:** who likes the symphony anyway?

**Me:** old people

**Me:** that’s who

**Me:** and faulkner is gross

**Anna:** yeah, see, judging his hobbies

**Me:** that’s not the point

**Me:** he thinks i’m impulsive and abrasive

**Me:** and that i don’t get how hard this is for him

**Anna:** you are impulsive and abrasive

**Me:** like it’s hard for both of us

**Anna:** to be fair you did ask whether it was okay to call him fedora mcfuckface

**Me:** you said it was!!!!!

**Anna:** yeah because i’m totally the shining example of a considerate human

**Anna:** i’m not saying you’re wrong bc i don’t know what happened

**Me:** im not wrong

**Anna:** bc all you’re saying is that he’s telling you things you dont want to hear

**Anna:** but like

**Anna:** idk

**Anna:** maybe you should talk

**Me:** he’s a dick though

**Anna:** what has he done to make you think that?

**Anna:** other than having hobbies you don’t like

**Anna:** and drinking coffee without artificial colors and flavors

**Me:** his ties don’t match his pocket squares

**Anna:** okay no offense but you need to get over yourself

**Me:** fine

**Me:** i’ll go see him Saturday morning

* * *

 

**Me:** Hey

**Caroline:** Hi! How are you? :)

**Me:** Do you have Elijah’s address?

**Caroline:** Yep! Why?

**Me:** We kind of had a fight.

**Caroline:** Oh, okay. Well, I mean, I can text it to you, but don’t you think you should ask first?

**Caroline:** I mean, Elijah’s kind of big on boundaries.

**Me:** Please?

**Caroline:** Fine.

**Caroline:** But tell him you got it from Klaus.

**Me:** You guys are like, the same person though

**Caroline:** LOL

**Caroline:** Omg I’m telling him you said that

**Caroline:** He’ll be so offended.

**< Caroline has sent you a contact>**

**Me:** Thanks

**Caroline:** Sure :) Good luck!

* * *

 

It was an absurdly nice day, a complete contrast to her nervous mood. April had gone to a hipster-y coffee shop that Caroline recommended, and she was walking to the apartment complex Elijah lived in, sipping her own coffee and trying to mentally prepare herself for the conversation.

She’d thought about it, and she realized that she had been a little unfair. Okay, a lot unfair. Sure, they didn’t share all that many interests, but she hadn’t exactly kept an open mind or really considered how he’d feel about her opinions. 

She maintained that Faulkner was terrible though, and that would never change.

April took a deep breath as she walked up the stairs, and gave herself another mental pep talk before she knocked on the door of Elijah’s apartment. She heard some shuffling around before the door opened, and she may or may not have nearly dropped the coffee she was holding.

Elijah was shirtless, his hair slightly sleep-rumpled. His flannel pajama pants were sitting low on his hips, and she couldn’t help but stare at his abs.

_ Damn... _

She vaguely realized that he was saying her name, and her gaze snapped back up to his face. He looked a little too smug for her tastes, but she didn’t comment, simply holding out the coffee. “Hey,” she said weakly. “I have coffee.”

“I can see that,” he said, taking it from her. “May I ask why you’re here?”

“I came to apologize,” she said uncomfortably.

He looked at her for a few seconds, his gaze calculating before he stood aside, opening the door for her. “Come in. It doesn’t do to have you standing in the hallway.”

“Right,” she said awkwardly, walking past him and looking around the room. 

Everything was surprisingly light and airy, the white curtains over the large windows fluttering in the breeze, a white cloth couch and armchair with blue and green throw pillows sitting next to a bookshelf and in front of the television.

“This is nice,” she said, and he smiled slightly.

“Yes. I admit that my sister had a hand in it, but I managed to keep her away from anything too lurid.”

April’s lips twitched, and she nodded to the couch. “Can I sit down?”

“Of course. I’d like to make myself a bit more presentable. I’ll be back in just a moment.”

April nodded, wondering whether he was going to change into a suit, and looking at the bookshelf, sipping her coffee.

It was only a few minutes before Elijah came back, and she was pleasantly surprised to see that he was wearing a polo shirt and well-fitting jeans. “So?” he prompted, sitting on the armchair across from her and raising an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions,” she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “It wasn’t very fair of me. I want to start over, if that’s okay.”

“Of course. And I’d like to apologize as well. I shouldn’t have lost my temper.”

“It’s okay. I kind of deserved it.”

“No,” he said immediately, and she felt a little taken aback by his vehement disagreement. “I shouldn’t have spoken like that to you. There were many better ways that I could have handled that.”

“Okay,” she said hesitantly, wondering why he was so uptight about a tiny fight. 

They sat in silence for another few seconds before Elijah tilted his head to the side. “Would you like to watch some television? Since you’re here anyway. I have Netflix.”

She snorted. Well, there went that gentlemanly attitude that he’d had for about .5 seconds. “We’re not at the make-up sex stage of our relationship yet.”

“Beg pardon?”

She flushed, realizing that he’d actually genuinely meant watch television. “I thought you meant, like, Netflix and chill sort of TV. Not like, actual TV.”

His lips twitched. “I see. Well, I assure you that I have no untoward intentions, though I could not say the same for you when you were in the hallway.”

“Are you making fun of me?” she asked, blushing, and Elijah grinned, picking up the remote.

“I took it as a compliment. It must be difficult to be in a situation where your soulmate is unbearably attractive.”

“Are you saying that you’re not in that kind of difficult situation?” she asked, glaring at him teasingly, and he just gave her a look that made her heart drop to her stomach, the breath leaving her lungs, heat blooming in her cheeks.

“You are beautiful,” he said simply before turning back to the menu. “Now, what would you like to watch?”

Four episodes of some crime drama later, April was slightly surprised to realize that she was snuggled into Elijah’s side, not having realized that they’d been inching closer to each other, her head on his shoulder.


	3. Captain Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline's determined to organize a triple date. April takes Elijah to meet her best friend in preparation for said date.  
> The thing at Starbucks actually happened. I was the April, and it was an a d v e n t u r e, although the lady told me I was fat rather than that she'd get me expelled from college. But, you know, details...

“It’s nice to see you,” April said awkwardly, sitting down at the cafe table.

Caroline smiled, her bright pink fingernails clacking against the plastic coffee cup in a grating staccato, but there was something cold to the twist of her lips that made April slightly uncomfortable.

“Thanks for coming,” Caroline said, bringing the straw of the frappuccino to her lips and taking a sip before setting it down. “So, I just wanted to talk to you about Elijah.”

“What about him?”

Caroline sighed, glancing out the window for a second before turning back. “I’ve known Elijah since I was a literal child. He can be a little bit of a fun-sucker, but his heart is in the right place, and he has a warm, squishy center.”

“Okay...?” April half-asked, taking a sip of her own coffee.

“If you do anything to disturb that warm, squishy center, they will never find your body.”

April snorted. “Thanks for the warning.”

Caroline’s eyes narrowed, and she laid her palm on the table, rubbing her lips together, her lip gloss smearing onto her cupid’s bow. “I know you think I’m super ditzy and irritating, and that’s fine, but you need to understand that I am not joking. I mean, I’m not going to kill you,  _ obviously _ , but I can find ways to make your life miserable, and I am not above it. He’s very loyal, and he’s clearly already absolute  _ trash  _ for you, which is ridiculous considering that you’ve basically done everything you possibly can to fend him off. I’m not saying you have to pretend to be someone you’re not, but would it kill you to be a little nicer? Seriously.”

“I guess not, although you’re not exactly being Captain Sunshine.”

“There’s a reason I’m Klaus’s soulmate, April,” Caroline said, her voice clipped. “Klaus is an enormous jerk, and I know that. I’m not his because I’m a pushover. I’m his because I compliment him in personality. In fact, a lot of people think I’m scarier.”

Okay, Miss Misogyny. ‘His’? Really?

“Okay,” April said quietly, trying not to let her voice shake, feeling a bit attacked. She knew she’d been kind of a bitch, but she and Elijah had made up. She said as much, and Caroline deflated slightly, her voice going soft.

“Yeah, I know. Which is good. I mean, I’m sure you’re good for Elijah. Like, generally soulmates tend to work that way. I just...it hurts to see him get hurt, you know? I’d rather not have to see it happen again.”

“Right,” April muttered, avoiding Caroline’s eyes and reaching to tuck a dark curl behind her ear. “Yeah.”

“Good,” Caroline said, and April looked up to see a small, rueful smile on the other girl’s face. “So, cake pop? My treat.”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Caroline got up from the table and grabbed her purse, starting to walk to the counter before pausing and turning back around. “Oh, and one more thing. I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner this weekend. With Elijah, I mean.”

She really didn’t want to, but considering the content of their conversation and the hopeful look on Caroline’s face, April sensed that it was both an olive branch and something Caroline really wanted to do. If they were going to be in each other’s lives, which she guessed they would be for the forseeable future, it was probably best to be on good terms.

“Sure.”

“Great! I’ll text you and Elijah later with the details. Anyway, I’ll be right back and we can totally talk about your essay. I saw your outline yesterday and I think you need some help.”

“I do not.”

“Um, no offense, but you’re wrong and way behind. Especially since you and Elijah aren’t at the ‘bribe with sex’ stage of your relationship yet, and he literally  _ never  _ gives extensions. Last semester he told a kid with swine flu that if he had to sleep for eighteen hours a day he could use the other six to write his essay.”

“Okay,” April said weakly, watching as Caroline grinned and walked up to the counter, her heels clicking on the floor.

* * *

**Elijah:** Office hours are running over, so I’ll be late. Please tell your friend that I apologize and that I’ll be there as soon as I can.

**Me:** No probs bb

**Me:** And Anna won’t care she’s cool. Just text me when you leave

**Elijah:** Yes, dear.

**Me:** Dear?? really??

**Elijah:** bb?? Really??

**Me:** Sorry, Mr. Mikaelson

**Elijah:** Elijah will do, April.

**Me:** okay bb will keep that in mind

April sighed as she walked into the coffee shop, glad to  _ finally _ be in the air conditioning  _ somewhere _ , and pocketing her phone. She had gone a good five hours with no caffeine and that was a problem. Lack of caffeine generally translated to lack of filter, which meant she got  _ vicious,  _ and that was a side of her she didn’t want Elijah to see yet, mostly because she wanted to finally have one date that went well. Just. One.

Sure, they’d made up and it had been one of the best afternoons she’d had since she’d walked into his classroom. Despite their rocky start to talking about their interests, other than trashy reality (her) and national geographic specials on penguins (him), they seemed to gravitate towards the same sorts of political and action dramas (he was apparently obsessed with Daredevil, which she hadn’t expected but was  _ more  _ than okay with), and they’d watched five episodes of House of Cards in one sitting.

Admittedly she’d been a little disappointed when lunch time rolled around and he mentioned that he had grading to do before walking to the door and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling back and searching her face. It was almost as if he was nervous to kiss her, to make the first move, and she couldn’t figure out why. Maybe he was worried he’d overstep?

She’d decided to invite him to meet Anna the next day, since her friend tended to be both calmer and nicer, and she suspected that she and Elijah would get along pretty well. It was sort of a practice run for meeting Elijah’s family, which Caroline had clearly decided was not optional, and April knew better than to argue. At least with this she could control part of the scenario.

She noticed that there was a larger gathering at the waiting end than usual, which  _ sucked  _ because she would like her coffee  _ now  _ pretty please with artificial flavors on top, but Anna was waiting for her at the end of the line, and she looked up and smiled.

“Hey! Where’s the soulmate?”

“Office hours. He’ll be here later.”

“To be honest, I’m kind of curious to meet him because you did like, a total 180 on him after you apologized. What happened?”

“He was right,” April said reluctantly, shrugging before she turned to the barista and ordered her usual, but with two extra shots of espresso because it was one of  _ those  _ days, and she vented to Anna about it as they walked to the counter to wait.

The woman next to her was shifting from foot to foot impatiently, huffing and rolling her eyes for at least forty seconds straight before she finally spat out what she was clearly thinking.

“Why isn’t my tea ready yet?”

“Well, it’s first come first serve, ma’am, and all of these people ordered before you.”

“Well, right, but iced tea lemonade isn’t exactly hard.”

“That’s true, but it’s first come first serve,” the barista said, clearly losing their patience (and April would bet that it wasn’t the first time the woman had complained). 

“Okay, well my dog’s in the car, so I need it now.”

“Ma’am, it’s first come first serve. There’s nothing I can do.”

“Well, I mean, you could always make me my drink. Like, just this once. I’m not trying to make a scene or anything.”

April resisted the urge to groan, her eye twitching. She had many  _ many  _ pet peeves, but one of the biggest ones was being rude to people in the service industry (because her parents had raised her _ right _ and if you do that to someone who can’t stand up for themselves without risking their job, then you are the  _ actual worst _ ), and Anna eyed her warily, clearly not on board for whatever confrontation was about to happen.

“I mean, you can just give me a coupon and I can come back some other time.”

“We don’t have coupons here, ma’am. I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to wait.”

“But my dog’s in the car and it’s hot.”

_ Well maybe you shouldn’t have left your dog in the car in ninety degree heat you sadistic idiot. _

“Look,” the woman continued, her perfectly manicured hand on her hip, her lip curled. “I’m not like, trying to make a scene, okay? I just need my drink.”

“Well ma’am, as I’ve said, unfortunately there’s nothing I can do. It’s first-come-first-serve,” the barista said.

“Well then maybe I should take my business elsewhere,” she said, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder and pursing her lips.

“Fine by me,” the barista muttered, and April fought down a laugh.

The barista turned around to dump an unnecessary amount of ice into the cup before pouring the tea lemonade over it and capping it and checking the name.

“Here’s your tea, Hallie,” the barista said, sliding it to the woman, who snatched it off the counter with a glare.

“It’s Hayley, but  _ thank  _ you.”

April knew she should keep her mouth shut, but her filter wasn’t fast enough to keep the words from falling out of her mouth as the woman walked away, her tone sickly sweet. “Thanks for not making a scene.”

The woman paused before turning around, glaring at her and invading her personal space. “I have been listening to you complain for half an hour--”

April pulled out her phone, checking the time. “I have literally been here for maybe ten minutes at most.”

“--No respect, talking to a perfect stranger like that--”

“Yeah, no, totally. I’m the one in this situation who is  _ so  _ disrespectful to others,” April said with faux sympathy.

“--And this is what I mean, I just came here to get a drink--”

“Isn’t your dog in your car?” April asked, her voice icy. “Like, wasn’t that why you just weren’t making a scene?”

The woman froze, her teeth bared, before turning around and marching out, spitting to the barista that she’d never come back. “Okay, bye!” the barista yelled with a fake smile.

“I’m sorry, She was nuts,” April said.

“Oh, I know. Trust me. She is not the first.”

“I’m sorry.”

The barista shrugged, and after April and Anna got their drinks, they went to sit down in the corner, both of them pulling out their phones.

April realized she’d had a text from Elijah about five minutes before saying that he was on his way, and she was about to ask Anna how her week had been when the girl walked in again, stopping in the middle of the room and looking around before her eyes set on April, marching over.

“Just a hint,” she hissed. “Don’t piss off the Dean’s daughter: I’ll get you kicked out.”

The door chimed as it opened, Elijah entering and looking around before seeing them and walking over. Hayley whirled around before realizing that she was almost toe-to-toe with Elijah.

“Hayley,” Elijah said quietly, clearly slightly confused. “I wasn’t aware you knew each other.”

“We just met,” April said with a cold smile. “She was being horrible to the barista, so I told her to stop, and now she’s threatening to get her Dad to expel me or whatever.”

Elijah looked like he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or groan. He settled on pursing his lips, his posture stiffening. “Well, I can assure you that it won’t happen, dear. Not to be rude, Hayley, but my father does not take kindly to threats of abusing the power granted by a position of authority, unless it’s him doing it. Perhaps, if your father is willing to punish students simply because you dislike them, he may not be the most responsible person for the job.”

Hayley looked a little offended, though she glanced at April before her eyes darted back to Elijah, who walked to April and sat next to her. This was the closest he’d ever been to her in public, and she couldn’t resist leaning against him. He smelled  _ really  _ good, and she felt his hand slide on top of hers as though he instinctively wanted to reassure her.

He probably did.

“Hayley, I see you’ve met my soulmate, April. She’ll be around quite a bit in the future so I do hope this won’t be a problem at functions.”

April’s breath caught as he moved his hand from hers. his arm sliding around her shoulders instead, tugging her against his side. It was a clear signal of whose side he was on, and she laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying his warmth.

“Nice to meet you,” Hayley ground out. “I have to go. My dog’s in the car, but—”

“Well that’s rather dangerous,” Elijah interrupted. “Perhaps you should attend to that now.”

Hayley shot April what could only be described as a filthy look before turning around and marching back through the door.

“What’s her problem?” April muttered, and she heard a rumble in Elijah’s throat that almost sounded like laughter, and Elijah squeezed her shoulder lightly, his fingertips brushing her skin as he played with the hem of her sleeve, the movement so casual and intimate that it made her breath catch. 

She looked up and saw Anna’s eyes darting between them, her cup halfway to her lips, and April quickly swallowed, setting down her cup on the table, slightly disappointed when Elijah withdrew his arm and cleared his throat, offering Anna his hand. “I’m Elijah.”

“Anna.”

They shook hands firmly before Elijah withdrew and straightened his tie uncomfortably. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Yeah, um...you too.”

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before April decided to break it. “So, how are you feeling about your classes so far this semester, An?” her voice was unnaturally cheery in a way that made Elijah and Anna both look at her with almost identical looks of mixed surprise and amusement.

“Fine. Shakespeare’s interesting, but Professor Maxwell is a really hard grader.”

Elijah’s eyes lit up. “Shakespeare? Are you enjoying it?”

“Yeah, actually. A lot.”

April relaxed into the couch as she watched her soulmate and best friend start an enthusiastic conversation about Shakespeare’s evolution through his works and tuned out about two minutes in, just watching Elijah’s face.

She wondered if he’d ever look as happy with her as he did when he was discussing the historical context for a Midsummer Night’s Dream and how it was clearly Shakespeare’s way of commenting on politics and classism.

She hoped so.


End file.
